Programmers
by ERidg17
Summary: My name used to be Azumi Wakahisa. Now it's Aki Wakahisa. My cousin Tohru and I are Programmers, meaning that we are auctioned off as either Slaves, Lovers, Bodyguards, or Companions. We could potentially lose our freedom - depending on what we're registered as. Preserving Tohru's innocence is my first priority. Everything else comes after. But what about my own happiness?
1. Demons

_Don't wanna let you down_

_But I am hell bound_

_Though this is all for you_

_Don't wanna hide the truth - Demons, Imagine Dragons_

* * *

I try to block out the sounds of the girls crying and the boys soothing them. It only makes the pain last longer. Instead, I grip Tohru's hand a bit tighter. She reciprocates, squeezing my hand.

"It's okay." She whispers comfortingly. "It could be worse."

"I know." I breathe back. I nervously smooth the silk shirt I'm wearing. It is, by far, the nicest thing I've ever seen, never mind wear. I'm used to hand-me-downs from my older brother, or clothes passed down from my mother or my aunt.

Two men appear in the doorway, calling another name. "Kimura Ataru."

A small boy, no older than 13, stands up and walks to the door. I faintly recall hearing the name from my sister. I think she said something about him transferring into her class.

His hands shake as he's lead out. The door shuts behind them, blocking out the noise from the auction.

I clench my jaw. I wish with my whole heart and mind that I wasn't here, and neither was Tohru. I wouldn't change anything about the circumstances under which I was brought here, but there's an aching pain in my chest, a longing to be in my shabby house, with Tohru sharing a room with me, wearing my brother's clothes and listening to my little brother and sister bicker.

I suppose I should explain where I am, and why I'm here.

First, my name. My last name doesn't matter anymore, and neither does my first name; or, at least, my _real_ first name. But I'll tell you anyways.

My real name is Azumi Wakahisa. I'm 16 years old, and I lived in a small town _outside_ of the outskirts of Hokkaido. I shared a small, 3 bedroom house with my older brother Hideo, my younger sister and brother, Emiko and Aki, and Tohru, my cousin. Along with, of course, my mother and my father. After Aunt Kyoko died, we pulled Tohru into our house forcefully, since she refused any offers of board.

Last month, my brother was taken, along with his best friend, Arata. That's why I wear his clothes, because you aren't allowed to bring anything that you don't have on your person, and we can't afford anything else. That's also why I worked.

I suppose I should also explain the _taken_ part. See, Tohru and I are Programmers.

If you aren't wealthy, influential, or royalty, and are aged 12 through 18, you're a Programmer. It means that, once a month, officials come to your town and choose 10-15 teens to, for lack of a better word, auction off. I suppose they try to be nice about it. First they ask for volunteers, and if no one volunteers, they make a list. They have a register of all the kids 12-18, and they randomly choose 10 teens.

Hideo and Arata were the ones that volunteered last month, along with several other teens.

My little brother was chosen. They announced the names, and Aki's name was on it. Tohru's name, too.

My mother had burst into tears when our neighbor had come running down the road, his face white, and told us whose names had been posted.

So Tohru set off. I pulled Aki back, and took a pair of scissors from the kitchen. I took a good look at his hair, then silently began snipping my **own, the long, chestnut hair falling in clumps around my feet.** I could imagine myself becoming an older version of Aki; dark, close cropped hair and the same vibrant blue eyes.

My mother and father watched silently, as did Emiko and Aki. When I was done, I kissed them all on the cheeks, told them that'd I'd be fine, and marched off.

I told the officials that came that I was Aki Wakahisa, and that of course I was a girl, and insisted that there_ must_ be a problem with the paperwork, because I didn't have a little brother named Aki, though I did have one named Akiho.

And they accepted it, mostly because who cared? It was easier for a half grown girl to be auctioned off.

We're given new clothes when we arrive, to look more presentable. Our hair is washed and combed, our nails are painted and our bodies slathered with glitter and lotion and perfume.

Then we're shuffled into a room next to the stage, to be marched out and auctioned off.

The door swings open again. "Tohru Honda and Aki Wakahisa."

My stomach drops to the floor while my heart crawls into my throat, looking for a place to hide from the heartache.

We walk out.

After the dim lights in the holding room, the florescent lights blind me. I squint as we're prodded forward. A rough hand takes my elbow, and i'm spun to face the crowd in attendance. I hear Tohru's squeal as the same is done to her. I feel some of her long, mousy brown hair hit me as she's spun around. My head suddenly feels very light. My hair used to be long like that, and heavy.

"Ooh, look at these two ladies!" The announcer looks us over with a look of predatory longing. I shiver and pull Tohru closer to me, putting myself in between her and the man, though I want to vomit as I breathe in the scent of this heavy cologne. "These two are a special deal, a two-for-one deal! You get both of these delicious ladies for the price of one! Be careful though, the younger one nearly broke a man's limb on the way here!" He laughed unconvincingly, grabbing me by the waist. I clenched my jaw and ignored him. I knew that if I hurt him in any way, I'd be shot before I could do anything else. "Oh, come on, sweetheart! Don't be like that!" He bent down and attempted to kiss my cheek. I turned my face, and he ended up with a mouthful of badly cut hair.

He released me and backed away, glaring. "Can I get 50,000?" He began the bidding. A hand shot up in the air, and the phones on the right began to ring as people called in their bids. "60,000?" Several other hands rose. "70,000?" More hands, more rings.

He continued to increase the bids by 10,000, until he reached 700,000. That was the average money made on a Programmer, and it's why the announcer was wearing a pure gold chain and a 300,000 yen suit.

"Can I get 720,000? 720,000, anybody, anybody? No?"

The phone rang again. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply as I tried not to imagine what life would be like with the sleazy looking man who held the lead with the auction. He would probably register us as Lovers.

There's four categories that a Programmer could be entered under when they are bought: Servant, Lover, Bodyguard, and Companion. Servant is pretty common, for both genders. Lover is also common, though more girls were registered under that category. Boys could be too, for the women that bid, though it was less common. Both for women to bid and for boys to be sex toys.

Bodyguard was the one that boys generally were registered as. They were given training, and then they were a bodyguard for the rest of their lives, either protecting the one that bought them or the person they were assigned to. People come and bid on boys that look strong or smart for their private militaries or police force or whatever. Girls, very rarely, were bodyguards, like it was with the Lover and the boys.

The Companion category was the most coveted **position **- and the rarest. When you're a companion, you live with them and just simply _be there_. **You're not** a Servant, so you don't have to clean the house or cook meals. **You're not** a Lover, so you don't have to do whatever a Lover does. **You're not** a bodyguard, so you don't have to jump in front of a bullet for your Master. You live with them, you're there for them as a friend. You can go to school, have your own stuff, do whatever you want. Sometimes, they let you leave and visit your family, or even let you move out.

"Oh, what is _this_?" The **announcer's** voice sounded completely surprised, so I opened one eye and peeked out of the corner. He held a slip of paper in his hand, brought to him by one of the people manning a telephone. "900,000 yen."

The man looked livid. He sputtered furiously in the few seconds I watched, then I tore my eyes away to look at the announcer.

"900,000 going once. 900,000 going twice . . . " Tension hung heavy in the air as I glanced back to the man. He was red in the face, apparently at his money limit. "Sold for 900,000 yen! Mr. Hatori Sohma has bought Aki Wakahisa and Tohru Honda as Companions for 900,000 yen."

Companion? I barely noticed as we were pushed off the narrow stage and into a different room. "Mr. Sohma is coming to get you shortly." The door slammed **shut**.

I sat down next to Tohru, who was clearly excited.

"W-wow! Companions! That's better than I dared to hope for! Isn't it, Azumi?"

"It's Aki now, Tohru-chan."

"Oh yes! Sorry, I forgot." She was quiet for a few minutes. "Does the name Hatori sound familiar to you?"

"Kinda. I don't really remember anything about the name, but I know I've heard it before." She nodded, humming.

"Aki-chan, do you think that Mr. Sohma is very nice?" I looked up at her, since she's a few inches taller than me. Her brown eyes were shining with hope,**as well as** worry.

"Of course. I won't let him touch you if he isn't." I said determinedly. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, no! Don't hurt him!" She sputtered.

"If he's a weirdo, I will." She just looked at me pleadingly. I sighed. "I'll try."

There was a knock on door, and after a brief hesitation, I walked over and opened it.

A tall man stood in the door. His dark hair hung over his oddly purple eyes, completely blocking the left one from view. He wore a long, white doctors coat. He was handsome, in the way that I recognized my mother to be beautiful or my father to be handsome.

"Hello," He said quietly. "I am Doctor Hatori Sohma."

_Doctor?_

"Oh! Hello, I'm Tohru Honda! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Tohru said eagerly, bowing to him.

"Aki Wakahisa." I inclined my head to him, terrified to let him out of my sight. He stared at me as if he wanted to say something, but then changed his mind. He moved further into the room, and I backed away, pushing Tohru back. He stopped as I began to glare at him.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He said, his voice apathetic.

Tohru tried to apologize for me. "I-I'm sorry, Dr. Sohma! She doesn't trust anybody easily, and she doesn't like strangers."

He regarded me silently. "I see." He turned his back and walked out of the room, pausing briefly in the doorway. "Come along. We need to get you tattooed."

He strode down the empty hall. After a few seconds, I followed cautiously, with Tohru trailing behind me.

When our Masters register us, we receive tattoos. The tattoos mark us as Programmers, forever setting us apart from the Rich.

**Servants** get a black design on their arms, beginning on the back of their hands. The lines swirl up to their shoulders, and down their backs. They're elegant but bold, so nobody could miss the fact that they belong to somebody else.

Bodyguards get their Master's family emblem on the back of both hands, also in black. **(Enter)**

Lovers get their Master's emblem on their back, though it's usually more elegant in design, and the Master's choose colors for the tattoo.

The Companion tattoos were an unknown treasure, since Companions were so few and far between. The Master's choose the designs and the colors, though the Programmer could choose where the got it.

Several Programmers were receiving their tattoos by the time we arrived.

"Ah, Dr. Sohma. Come to get your Servants tattooed?" A man asked politely as he approached us. Without looking back at us, he replied,

"They are not my servants." The man shuffled nervously under the emotionless gaze of Dr. Sohma.

"Lovers, then?"

"Absolutely not." A hint of disgust leaked into Dr. Sohma's voice. "They are my Companions, and that is all they will ever be." Dr. Sohma said coldly. I watched the proceedings, **interested**.

"O-of course, Dr. Sohma." The man backed away, then waved him over to an empty bench. A metal tray stood next to it, holding the tattoo needles and dyes.

I stood next to the bench apprehensively, silently insisting that I go first. I swung my leg over the black leather bench, narrowly missing the metal tray.

"Did you have a specific tattoo in mind for them, Dr. Sohma?"

He seemed to think carefully for a moment, then met the defiant gaze I had fixed on him, wordlessly communicating that I didn't care what he had put on me.

"A blue gladiolus." I recoiled slightly in shock. A flower? _A flower_? He chose a flower for me? I bit my tongue to prevent my irritation from spilling out. "She can choose where she wants it. "

"I want it on my back." The man nodded slowly, then leered at me.

"Alright. Shirt off." My stomach plummeted.

"Do you have a female artist?" Dr. Sohma's voice broke in. I glanced back up at him. Tohru moved directly in front of me, so I could still see her, even lying face down.

"Y-yes."

"Go fetch her. She will be doing their tattoos." He said quietly, staring at the man, daring the man to contradict him.

"O-of course." He scurried off to a back room, and returned with a tall, dark-haired woman. She calmly picked up the tray and gestured us into the back.

"Let's move back here." We entered a room with pages and pages of tattoo designs papering the walls. "You wanted a blue gladiolus on her, correct?"

"Yes." With out another word, she gestured for me to lift my shirt. I did so without worry, noticing with appreciation that Dr. Sohma turned his back and began to study the tattoo designs on the walls. Tohru sat in front of me again, smiling cheerfully.

After several hours, the woman put gauze over her work and said that I would have to return tomorrow to finish it.

Tohru was next, and I watched as she sat on the bench and pulled her shirt nervously over her head.

"What will you be wanting for this one?"

Dr. Sohma didn't hesitate. "A cherry blossom tree."

The woman nodded. "Where do you want it?" She directed her words at Tohru this time.

"Oh! I hadn't though of it! Silly me! Um . . . "

"On her back." I told the woman. It would be easier to hide the tattoo on her back, and I didn't want people to immediately know she was a Programmer.

Tohru nodded her consent, and the woman began. I watched carefully as the needle lowered. Tohru buried her face in the leather.

I leant back against the door, then pulled away with a grimace and a hiss as it pressed against the raw skin where my tattoo was.

"I'm sorry." I swiveled my head and stared at Dr. Sohma for a few seconds. He was the only logical choice as to whom had uttered the words, since the tattoo artist wasn't paying attention, and Tohru was too distracted. He didn't meet my gaze or make any sign that he had said anything, so I turned my head and watched Tohru again, keeping track of him in the corner of my eye.

The woman declared Tohru done for the day, and bandaged her tattoo as well. We would have to come back tomorrow to finish them.

Dr. Sohma led us out to his car, holding the door open for us. I pushed Tohru in ahead of me, climbing in gently behind her. We sat with our backs several inches away from the seats, to avoid hitting our tattoos against the back of the seat.

Dr. Sohma got in and started the car. The lights that automatically turned on when you opened a door faded, leaving the car dark. The tension was almost tangible in the dark.

We didn't say a word, and I carefully watched out the window, attempting to discern where he was taking us. I grew more nervous with each passing moment, because the road he was driving on wound into the thick trees of a forest.

A house came into view, with the porch light on. Two figures appeared to be waiting, not speaking to the other.

He parked, and before I could open the door, he had opened it for me. I glared at him distrustfully before sliding out and waiting for Tohru. I watched the other men approach out of the corner of my eye, and carefully positioned myself between them and Tohru.

They stopped a few yards away and studied us, the way I held myself, the way Tohru was glancing nervously between me and them, the way I had positioned myself between Tohru and the danger - them.

"Is this them? Well, I must say, aren't you two ladies lovely?" The older one spoke cheerfully, his eyes glinting. He wore a traditional kimono, and his hair was dark, like Dr. Sohma's. His eyes were a bland shade of brown, the kind that you see on a dirt path when it hasn't rained in a while.

The other man whacked him upside the head. "You disgusting pervert." He said in a patronizing tone. He couldn't have been much older than Tohru, but I would have mistaken him for a girl if his hair was longer and his face a little rounder.

His hair was longer on one side than it was on the other, like it had been cut badly. True, I had no room to talk, seeing as I had done mine with kitchen scissors, but at least it wasn't as uneven as his. His eyes reminded me of the clouds that form when rain is on it's way, but not in any danger of falling soon; a soft, rainy grey. His hair was a much darker shade; clouds about to burst.

He smiled gently at us, but I backed away more. Smiles hid false intentions. It didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm Yuki Sohma, and this idiot is Shigure." Shigure laughed and waved. I watched cautiously as Dr. Sohma stepped closer to Shigure.

Shigure spoke first. "Ha'ri, is she really Asuka's daughter? She seems so . . . meek."

"How the hell do you know my mother?" I snapped, glaring distrustfully at them. Dr. Sohma sighed and turned to face me.

"Shigure and I were friends with your mothers in high school. This was before the auctions had begun."

Shigure butted in. "Ha'ri called up all worried when he recognized the last names on the screen! He didn't know what to do!"

Dr. Sohma glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "Shut up." He turned his attention back to Tohru and I. "You will be staying here with Shigure and Yuki, and you'll attend the local high school." The subject changed suddenly. He walked to the driver's side of the car.

"Why aren't we coming with you, Dr. Sohma?" Tohru asked innocently. Dr. Sohma stopped and looked at us. I couldn't read any emotion in his face.

"It's not safe at the main Sohma estate. The head of the family will not be pleased when he hears what I've done, and here, you're out of his reach." With a sudden surge of understanding, I realized that the rumors I had heard about the Sohma head were probably true.

Gossip was limited in a small town, so they most gossiped about topic was celebrities; specifically, the high ranking and handsome Sohma Clan. It was said that the head of the house, Akito, threatened the members with isolation and beatings if they defied him. I had never believed them, but felt it was the only explanation for the carefully cover cautiousness in Dr. Sohma's eyes, or the fear that had flared in Yuki's eyes.

I nodded my head to him, not taking my eyes away from him or Shigure. "Thank you." I murmured, shifting uncomfortably. The shoes I had been forced into pinched my toes.

Dr. Sohma looked at me silently for a moment, then spoke again. "You look like her."

"Who?"

"Your mother." He sat in the driver's seat and closed the door, then turned on the engine and drove slowly back the way we'd come. I watched him go, only meeting his purple eyes once when he looked back in the review mirror. Then he was out of sight, but far from out of mind.

"We have a bedroom all set up for you! Unless - " Shigure wriggled his eyebrows like a villian in an old movie. " - one of you ladies would like to share with me?" I could literally feel Tohru's blush heating up the back of my head.

Yuki's fist came down on Shigure's head. "You sick bastard." Shigure lay on the floor, moaning and whimpering. "I'll show you to your room. We didn't have much time to prepare, so there are some large T-shirts for you to wear to bed until we can get pajamas for you." He started towards the house. Shoving Tohru in front of me, I walked over Shigure, taking care to crunch on his fingers as I passed.

Yuki led us up a flight of stairs, and showed us the second door on the left. "Sorry that this is all there is in it." He sounded embarrassed to have only **one**bed in there. "The bathroom is the door across, and we have a couple towels and toothbrushes set out for you."

Tohru nodded gratefully. "Thank you so much! You're really too kind!" She grinned brightly at Yuki. Shigure popped up behind him, obviously recovered from his wounds.

"The offer still stands-"

"No." I pushed Tohru back into our room and slammed the door shut behind me. I listened carefully, leaning all my weight onto the door so it couldn't open. It was several seconds before I heard the sound of a fist hitting a head, and two pairs of footsteps walking away.

Tohru sat on the bed and looked out the window. "They're very kind."

"That Shigure man is disgusting." I growled, taking one of the T-shirts and rolling it so it would fit under the door. I tried to open it, and felt satisfied when it wouldn't budge.

"W-well, I think - "

"Please don't start making excuses for him, Tohru." She fell silent. I sighed and turned to face her, casting my eyes down towards my feet. "I'm sorry, Tohru." I muttered. Her head snapped up, and she waved her hands in front of her face.

"O-oh, no! It's okay Azu-Aki. Really, it's fine." She insisted. I smiled reluctantly at her.

"It's not fine, so don't say it is. It was wrong for me to snap at you."

She knew better than to argue with me, so she simply nodded and smiled at me, before handing one of the T-Shirts.

It fell down to mid-thigh, but the sleeves came down to nearly my elbows. It smelled clean, and was still warm from the dryer.

I wedged Tohru in between me and the wall, then positioned myself so I was lying on my side facing the door.

"Aki?" Tohru whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Goodnight." I felt her slightly larger, slightly warmer hand entwine around my cold one.

"Goodnight, Tohru." I pushed my qualms with Shigure away, and my distrust of Yuki and Dr. Sohma was shoved into a corner of my consciousness in favor of sleep.


	2. Innocence

_This innocence is brilliant_  
_I hope that it will stay_  
_This moment is perfect_  
_Please don't go away_  
_I need you now_  
_And I'll hold on to it_  
_Don't you let it pass you by - Innocence, Avril Lavigne_

* * *

"Sorry that it's so stuffy in here, we've had it closed off. You might want to keep a window open for a while."

I forced my eyes open at the sound of Yuki's soft voice. Bright sunlight was streaming through the window, warming my face and the covers. Kicking the covers off, I rolled off the bed, catching myself on my hands and feet before my face hit the floor.

Tohru squealed as I grabbed her wrist and yanked her behind me. Yuki looked startled, though unsurprised, at my actions, only holding his hands up placating as I curled mine into fists.

"Do _not_ come in here when I am sleeping." I snarled. He smiled at me softly, though it did nothing to ease the racing of my heart or the adrenaline running through my veins. Like before, his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"O-oh, no, Aki-chan! Yuki was just bringing up some clothes for us! It's okay, really!" Tohru laughed nervously, orienting herself around me. I could sense her standing just behind me, standing far enough way that I couldn't touch her standing still.

"Here, Miss Wakahisa. These should fit, at least a little bit. I think Hatori was planning on taking you shopping when you finish your tattoos."

The ceiling began making ominous creaking noises. I glanced up at it, noting the plaster drifting down.

"Oh, really? That's very kind of him." Tohru nodded cheerfully.

The ceiling groaned slightly louder. I paid more attention to it, watching Yuki out of the corner of my eye. A crack had appeared, almost directly in front of me.

I jumped back as the ceiling finally gave away, and a body fell through it. I shoved Tohru farther back, shielding her from the bits of plaster and wood that rained down.

Another boy stood there, barefoot. His hair was a shocking color of orange, and it stood out against the pitch black of his shirt. His pants were baggy and had lots of loose strips of fabric, contrasting against Yuki's sharp, neat attire.

"Okay, you little rat bastard. I'm here now. Are you ready for a fight?" He snarled. Yuki sighed, looking exasperated.

"Do we have to do this now?"

Tohru launched herself at the boy as he leapt at Yuki.

"Tohru!"

She crashed into the boy, wrapping her arms around his torso. He grabbed her arms in surprise, taking her down with him as he fell. There was a loud _pop_, and suddenly the air was filled with a light orange . . . mist. I'm not quite sure what it was; it was thicker than mist or a gas, but not as suffocating as a cloud or fog.

Tohru resurfaced, clutching a cat in her hands. I stopped from where I was diving into the orange mess to save her, confused at the sight of the cat, which hadn't been there a few seconds before.

Yuki began to move towards Tohru and the cat. "That stupid idiot," He muttered darkly. I slid in front of him, blocking Tohru from him.

"She is not a stupid idiot, you ignorant bastard." I hissed, jamming my foot forwards, catching him in his ankle.

I'm sure that he could've dodged, and done it easily, if he hadn't been so surprised at a midget like me being able to do any damage. He fell forwards, falling onto me and pinning me to the ground. His grey eyes widened as they met my blue ones.

"_Get the hell off of me!_" Suddenly, Yuki's weight lightened, and his body became smaller, until it was just a pressure on my stomach.

I looked down through the grey haze, barely able to see my stomach. I propped myself on my elbows just as the haze began to thin.

There was a tiny, white rat on my stomach. It was absolutely adorable, small, pure white, with a little twitching nose and minuscule paws.

Yuki's clothes were draped over my torso and legs, and I now that I was eye-level with them, I could see that orange-haired boy's clothes under Tohru's feet.

I leapt up and away, knocking the rat to the floor. I took Tohru by the wrist and yanked her out of the room, making her drop the cat. I took the stairs two at a time, dragging Tohru down so fast that she nearly fell the rest of the way down the stairs.

"What's all the fuss?" Shigure appeared in front of me, and before I could dodge him, I ran into him. I released Tohru when I first lost my balance, and Shigure and I tumbled down, his heavier weight propelling us backwards, towards the stairs. His arms automatically wrapped around me, one hand around my waist, one on the back of my head, protecting it from the hardwood stairs. We landed on the stairs.

Another loud _pop_ sounded, and suddenly a brown haze descended upon us. Shigure's weight, like Yuki's decreased and became more centralized, until it was a deadweight on my stomach. As the haze cleared, a big, black dog lay on my stomach and legs, pinning me down. It stood, pressing down uncomfortably on my stomach, then stepped off, nudging me with its wet nose.

It snuffled around my hair for a moment as I lay, immobilized by the shock that had over come me.

"Well, don't you smell lovely?" The dog said, giving me a grin, or as close as he could in his current form. I raise my hand and smack at the dog, but it bounds out of reach, then edges closer. I watch him suspiciously. He nudged my head again, lifting it a few inches above the ground. I took it as a sign to get up.

The rat and the cat had come down the stairs by now, and the rat had scurried up the dog's tail. The cat stood several yards away from them, fur bristling.

"Well, I guess we better explain this, huh?" The dog chucked nervously.

"T-they're talking!" Tohru looked as if she was about to faint. The dog padded forward a few feet. I scuttled backwards, shoving Tohru farther back.

A knock sounded on the door. "Hello? I brought your mail." It's still for a moment, then, dragging Tohru with me, I stalk over to the door and open it. A man stands there, holding out the mail.

I suppose I'm still glaring, because the man - boy, really, only a few years older than Tohru - shrinks back. "M-mail for you! I-I didn't know women lived here!" I stared at him, my eyes narrowed. Something brushes against my bare thigh, and I suddenly realize that I'm still only wearing the overly-large T-shirt.

It's the black dog, and it hands the man a wallet. The man stares at it in confusion, and I watch him intently, flicking my eyes back to the dog and behind me, at the cat and the rat, making sure to keep them all in my vision. "Wow, I wish I had a dog that did that!" He looks at me, giving me a nervous smile. I don't return it.

The man shoves the wallet and the mail into my hands, then takes off, calling goodbye over his shoulder. I slam the door and drop the mail and wallet, then stand in front of Tohru, adjusting the shirt around my neck.

"Explain. Now." I press my lips together and curl my toes. I don't _care_ if Dr. Sohma bought us. I don't _care_ if I owe him because he saved Tohru's innocence. I don't _care_ that he owns us. If they drugged Tohru and I, and we're seeing things because of the drugs, then God help them, because I will kill them.

The cat suddenly speaks up. "Damn it! How the hell am I supposed to come up with an excuse if you two transform too?!" He hissed. I felt Tohru slide to the ground behind me. I crouched next to her, perching carefully on my toes.

"Don't you dare try to blame this on us, you stupid cat." The mouse had Yuki's voice, but it was softer, smaller, if that was even possible.

"I dare you, say that again."

"_Stupid cat_." Yuki's voice enhanced every word, and the cat noticed it. It's muscles rippled as it crouched. I recognized that position; I hd seen it enough with the boys at home when they were facing off against each other. It was an attacking position.

I made sure that the dog and rat were on the opposite side of the room, and weren't looking as if they were going to move towards us anytime soon, before reaching over and plucking the cat off of the floor by the scruff of his neck.

"Wha- Put me down!" He demands. I shudder slightly, holding my arm stiffly away from my body.

"Calm down." I manage to get out from between gritted teeth. Cats have always creeped my out, with their claws and their teeth and their scratching and their clawing. "I want to know exactly _what the fuck_ is going on here, and I want to know now." I mutter, to low for Tohru, who is hyperventilating, to hear. I drop the cat; he lands on his feet and sprints away from me and my glare.

I situated myself between Tohru and the animals, settling down in front of her. She calms down when she registers my presence.

"Well, it's too late for excuses now." The dog, Shigure, mutters. He sounds utterly disappointed and ashamed, and I can't help but feel the littlest bit of sympathy. He turned to face us, his eyes guilty. Yuki perches on his head again. "Aki, Tohru, I'm a dog." At this, I have to fight to keep a straight face. The way he said it, and the tone of his voice are so in contrast that I can't help but snicker. "Yuki's a rat. And the cat over there, that's Kyo. Don't let his temper frighten you. He just has a chip on his shoulder." He ducks his head. "Our family's lived with this curse for generations. We each transform into the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac."

The cat, very slowly, turns his head around to glare at Shigure.

"Sorry, the twelve animals, plus the cat." Kyo turns back to face the wall, satisfied. "Anyways, when we're stressed or hugged by a member of the opposite . . . gender-" He didn't have the maturity to say the word _sex_ as in girl or boy without thinking something dirty. "- After a while, we change back." Here, Shigure paused and looked away, as did Yuki. I'm sure that if animals could blush, they would have done it. They just radiated mortification. "But when we do, we're . . . naked." He said meekly.

Of course, at that moment, they changed back. Kyo was crouched in a corner, and Yuki and Shigure were next to each other. Thankfully, the haze obscured everything, so I was able to clap my hands over Tohru's eyes, dodge her hands as she attempted to find my eyes to cover, and shove her up the stairs.

I pushed her into our new room and grabbed the clothes that lay on the floor, chucking them down the stairs. I slammed the door, then replaced the T-shirt that had been removed from the bottom. I was really in too much shock to do anything else except get dressed in the nice, button down shirt and long pants. Tohru's outfit almost matched mine, except her shirt was white instead of cream.

Tohru sat on the bed. I joined her, and for several minutes, it was silent.

A knock sounded on the door, then somebody attempted to open it. I leapt up and shoved Tohru back as the door knob rattled impatiently.

"Tohru? Aki? Please open the door." Dr. Sohma's voice sounded slightly impatient. I kicked aside the shirt and opened the door. Dr. Sohma stood in the doorway. Shigure stood almost directly behind him, and Yuki stood next to him. I eyed them distrustfully.

"Oh, hello, Dr. Sohma!" Tohru waved cheerfully from the bed. He inclined his head to her, then said,

"Call me Hatori."

"A-alright, H-" She seemed to struggle for a moment with his name. Shigure cocked his head expectantly, looking confused. I knew what she was struggling with, and simply waited for the inevitable. "D-Dr. Hatori." Hatori nodded in agreement with his name, then turned away. "Come. We need to talk." Shigure trailed him down the stairs. Yuki started off, then paused and turned back, as if waiting for us. I watched him carefully before nudging Tohru ahead of me. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing straight up. It went against my instincts to have him behind me, where I couldn't see him.

Shigure had made himself comfortable on one side of the table, and Hatori stood on the other side. I paused at the doorway and let Yuki pass ahead, then settled myself next in between Tohru and Hatori. If I craned my neck, I could see Kyo sitting outside the doors on the porch. Yuki sat behind Shigure, and to the left.

"We must seem pretty strange to you." Shigure said, smiling cheerfully at us. I wasn't fooled; I could see the strain and the worry behind it. I knew he wasn't worried about us, we were just two teenage girls he met last night. His eyes flickered to Hatori, and back.

Hatori sighed, then sat next to me. I stiffened, but didn't say anything to protest. I began to chew the inside of my cheek.

Tohru elbowed me. I released my cheek and huffed. "Well, it's not your fault if your family is cursed." I said stiffly. "But I thought that the cat wasn't a part of the zodiac."

Tohru nudged me again, and I hissed as she caught me in between the ribs. "No offense." I added through gritted teeth. I really hadn't meant any offense, but the cat wasn't in the zodiac. So why would he turn into one?

"Yes, it's hard to believe that he's the cat, I know." Shigure winked as Kyo visibly hunched over in irritation. "The phrase 'cat-like reflexes' don't really apply to him, with the way he let you fall on him and everything.

"Shigure." Hatori said, the warning clear in his tone. Shigure ignored him.

"It's surprising, really, how clumsy he is, despite all of his martial arts training. I'm sure he'd be over here bragging about if he wasn't over there brooding like a child."

Kyo leapt up, apparently tired of listening to him. I, quite frankly, agreed. I was certain Shigure was doing it on purpose, with Kyo being right there and all.

"_Will you shut up?!_ I already told you, it's not my fault. Blame her!" He pointed at Tohru, who shrunk back at his furious outburst. "She shouldn't even be here, and neither should _she_!" This time, he pointed at me. I moved to get up, but both Tohru and Hatori clamped a hand down on my arm. I reached over and dug my nails into his hand. He immediately retracted his hand, murmuring something I couldn't quite hear.

It sounded like _sorry_.

"Who we let into this house is of no business to you." Yuki said, disdain lacing every word. "You're the one who doesn't belong here." Though I wanted to jump up and smack Kyo, I thought Yuki was being inconsiderate and crass. You don't just tell someone they don't belong, no matter how much they deserve it.

Kyo was shaking with anger now, and with a yell that could only be described as a war cry, he karate-chopped the table in half. Since I was closest to the table, it hit me first. It collided with my forehead, and the sheer weight behind it made me slam backwards against the floor, though for some reason, the table didn't fall on top of me.

"Azumi!" Tohru shrieked, forgetting to call me Aki. I sat up, brushing away her worrying in hands. Hatori stood near the broken remains of the table, holding up the side that had hit me. He frowned and pushed it over to collide with its other half. I pressed my knuckle against the area. Hatori bent in front of me and removed my hand from my forehead.

Shigure crouched next to me. "Oh, Aki, you're bleeding."

"Please go get your first aid kit, Shigure." Hatori ordered, brushing a few strands of hair away from the cut. I shuddered and tried not to flinch away from his touch. His hands felt like he had held them in a bucket of snow.

A sharp _slap_ sounded through the air. Yuki backhanded Kyo, making his head snap to the side.

"Do you see what you did, you _stupid cat_?! She's bleeding!" Yuki snapped, sounding angrier than when he had transformed. He unbuttoned the first button of his shirt. "Well, you wanted a fight."

Hatori moved and blocked my vision, just as Yuki lunged at Kyo. I held Tohru's hand to be sure she was right behind me and wouldn't go running off to hug them.

"Dr. Hatori, are you a part of the zodiac too?" Tohru asked innocently. His cold hands paused from where they were gently wiping blood off my forehead.

"Yes." His face was unreadable again.

". . . What animal are you?" His purple eyes flickered to meet her chocolate ones, then flicked back down to mine.

"I'm the dragon." Hatori said, in a tone that made it obvious that the matter was closed.

I heard Tohru take another breath to ask another question. I squeezed her hand, and shook my head when I was sure she was looking at me.

"Miss Wakahisa, stop moving." Hatori ordered.

Shigure appeared in front of us again, handing Hatori the first-aid kit before standing a few feet away from us and giving us the play-by-play of Yuki and Kyo's fight.

"Didja see that? Yuki flipped him!"

"Watch out for his . . . foot . . ."

"Watch your head!"

"Rock! Tree! Bush!"

"Oh! Down he goes!" Tohru's hand clenched and unclenched around mine. Shigure glanced at us, grinning, but stopped when he saw Tohru's worried face.

"Don't worry, Tohru. They fight like this every time they meet, and neither of them ever gets hurt too badly. It'll be over soon."

I heard a crash, and suddenly the room was a lot colder. I peeked as far right as I could without moving my head, and saw the door missing.

"Idiot." I heard Yuki say.

Tohru stared at the door, disbelieving. "He . . . sent him flying. Through the door." She said faintly.

"My door! Can you please try not to destroy my house?" Whimpered Shigure.

Hatori pressed a Band-Aid to the cut. "I would tell you to keep your hair away from it, but there's no need." He glanced at my short cropped hair, then turned away to finish packing up the first-aid kit. "When I'm done here, we'll leave."

Tohru, though still in a state of minor shock, nudged me on the arm. I sighed uncomfortably, then muttered, "Thank you." Still packing the first-aid kit away, Hatori didn't hear me. Tohru nudged me again. "Thank you." I said, a bit louder. Hatori paused.

"You're welcome." He handed the first aid kit to Shigure, then walked out the gaping hole where the door had once been. "Come. If we leave now, your tattoos will be done by the end of the day." Once he mentioned our tattoos, my back had started throbbing painfully. I winced, putting a hand gently on my back, feeling the stiff bandages. Yuki walked over.

"Miss Wakahisa, are you alright?" He stopped several feet away, eyeing me carefully.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He nodded, though he didn't take his eyes off of me.

"Oh Aki~!" Shigure appeared next to Yuki, with a hand perched on his chin thoughtfully. Kyo was no where in sight.

I glared at him. Unfortunately, he seemed to take this as a sign to continue.

"Why did Tohru call you Azumi, huh? I thought your name was Aki." I could see Hatori watching us curiously.

"It is." I replied shortly, prodding Tohru ahead of me and around them. I shoved her out the door, past Hatori, and to the car. We waited by Hatori's car as he spoke to Yuki and Shigure. We finally got in the car.

As we drove away, Shigure waving cheerfully, I spotted Kyo. He was perched on the roof, staring up at the sky. Watching the road ahead carefully to be sure Hatori wasn't driving us into a deep, dark part of the forest, I peered out the window and up at the sky.

Nothing. Not even a cloud.

"You can't tell anybody." Hatori suddenly spoke up. I glanced at him.

"What?"

"You cannot tell anybody about the curse. If you do, I will be forced to erase your memories, and send you back to the auction next time. And the Sohmas will be forbidden from bidding. Do you understand?" Tohru cocked her head, looking confused, but I understand perfectly.

We were a threat. A liability. A danger. If we exposed them, we won't remember anything about them. We would be auctioned off again, this time to a sleazy old man looking for a bit of fun.

"Yes." I whispered hoarsely. "We understand." He glanced back into the review mirror, and meet my eyes. I saw that he understood that I understood. That I knew what would happen, and the consequences that slip of tongue would have.

I glanced back out the window, admiring the reds and golds of the leaves. It was autumn.

"Nothing gold can stay." Tohru whispered. I glanced at her.

"What?"

"It's a poem." She told me, then recited.

"_Nature's first green is gold, _  
_Her hardest hue to hold. _  
_Her early leafs a flower; _  
_But only so an hour. _

_Then leaf subsides to leaf. _  
_So Eden sank to grief, _  
_So dawn goes down to day. _  
_Nothing gold can stay._" She subsided and looked out the window again. "The leaves can't stay gold, and every season must come to an end. But autumn is so pretty, isn't it Aki?"

I stared at her. "Yeah. It's my favorite." I smiled softly at her as she grinned back and began humming.

I remember talking about that poem in Language Arts. I was a grade below Tohru, and we had a whole discussion on it.

We had narrowly avoided loosing our gold-our innocence. One mistake, one slip, one irreversible second, and our gold would be as good as gone.

I was determined to keep Tohru's innocence for as long as possible. It was her innocence that made her such a happy-go-lucky person, somebody who could wake up every morning and find something to smile about.

I suppose I'd have to learn to trust them a bit more, since it looked like I was going to be stuck with them for a while.

Tohru's gold was worth it.

* * *

**I'm tired. Is anybody else, or is it just me?**

**And none of my fan fictions I've been reading have been updated, so I'm bored. Ugh.**

**And we lost our soccer ****game. **

**Thank you for the reviews for the first chapter! I was really nervous, because it's an AU. I like Fruits Basket AU's better than normal stories, because the plot is so much more interesting if it comes out of your head, and you have so much more control. **

**Thank you to MissHikaHaru, DarkLight2589, wcmmppflfgg, Wild-hime, and Katrine0309 for following/favoriting!**

**MD (guest) - I literally just thought it up. I read somewhere about human trafficking and prositution, and I was like, How do they get trapped in this life? Do they have a choice? And then the plot bunny mugged me, and I abandoned my classwork to scribble it down, and my teacher was not amused. Thank you for your encouragement!**

**IloveMiguel777 - Thank you!**

**MissHikaHaru - Eeeeeeek! I'm glad you love it!**

**CuteCrazyKitteh12 - I really didn't realize the similarities between the Hunger Games and my story until your review. I really didn't, and when I did, I laughed. The plots will be different though, because there will be no fighting to the death other than the usual fights that the Sohmas get into. **

**This is NOT a HatorixOc story. It is a canon, KyoXTohru story. Akito will eventually pop up, and be a pivotal character, since this is a mix between the manga and the anime. But it's not an AkitoxOC story either. It is also a MALE AKITO STORY. I didn't really like the whole Akito-is-actually-a-girl thing, though I did actually like it at some points. **

**Okay, I'm done. Thank you all for reviewing, favoriting, following, and reading!**

**Until next time, minna! **


End file.
